Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and wish him luck in his portfolio. I am bitterly disappointed that I only have three minutes to speak. I want to talk, primarily, about the fishing industry in Ireland. As we all know, we have been left with only 15% of the fish in Irish waters, with Europe taking the rest. As an island nation, we do not get one fish from Danish, Swedish, Belgian or Dutch waters.We are not allowed to catch one fish in the North Sea, yet 85% of fish in Irish waters is taken from us. The Minister of State spoke about protecting our industry. Some people raised the involvement of the Naval Service and I do not dispute what they said. The Irish fisherman, whom I have represented for 35 years, are deeply upset, angry, in despair, feel a sense of hopelessness and are protesting about what has happened during the past year. The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority criminalised fishermen. They have no access by way of appeal to the High Court, Supreme Court or Circuit Court. They have been penalised in an atrocious fashion.

The Common Fisheries Policy has been a nail in the coffin of Irish fishermen. Since we joined the European Union our fishermen have been struggling. Our inshore fishermen, the small operators who fish for lobster, crab and shrimp, which we love to see on a restaurant menu, are a dying breed. I live in Schull, which is a beautiful area. I remember as a young man seeing 35 to 40 trawlers fishing from that area, ranging from big vessels to small 35 ft to 40 ft trawlers. I would like the Naval Service to police those foreign vessels that come to our waters in their droves. That is the reality. Someone will be here in ten years’ time asking what happened to our fishing industry, as it will have gone down the drain. We as politicians must take some responsibility for it, including my party historically. I raise this issue with a sense of desperation because I represent the coastal communities of Castletownbere, Union Hall, Schull, Kinsale, Ballycotton and all those areas. They are asked to accept wind and wave energy. I think they would be minded to do so but there is great anger among coastal communities from Donegal all the way down to Kerry and west Cork at what is happening to our fishermen and fisherwomen.Our fish catch is minuscule compared to that of the Dutch and the Danes, etc. We must look at the bigger picture.

Before I conclude, I wish to ask the Minister of State about an issue that may not be covered in the legislation. Can he examine an issue raised by a colleague of ours, namely, a wreck on the southeast coast? As a councillor and a Deputy, I raised issues about the famous MV Kowloon Bridge, the MV Rangaand the MV Bardini Reefer, all those shipwrecks that were not Irish owned. They have come ashore on our coastal areas and have done tremendous damage to the beauty of our beaches and peninsulas. There is no merit in pursuing the insurers. Some of these vessels are registered wherever. The Minister with responsibility for the marine should be in a position to get rid of those wrecks and to do it before there is further damage to our villages, coasts and beaches, which has happened historically.